The full release ofCall of Duty: Vanguardis fast approaching, and it’s hotly anticipated by fans following its multiple early access tests. While excitement is still high forCall of Duty: Vanguard, some of the attention has already turned to the nextCall of Dutygame. The identity ofCall of Duty2022 is of great interest to fans of the series, as it is the first Infinity Ward entry following the successful launch ofModern Warfare. Many fans are expecting to see a sequel to the 2019Call of Dutygame, although as of yet nothing is set in stone.
Fans have good reason to be hopeful of anotherModern Warfaretitle, though, as the return to a modernCall of Dutysetting was long-awaited and well-received. It marked seemingly the end ofCall of Duty’sexperimental period of futuristic settings, and the introduction of a new era ofCall of Duty, characterized byCall of Duty Warzone’sfree-to-play live service format.Modern Warfarealso saw the introduction of Infinity Ward’s new engine, which provided a more grounded, realistic feel. The reception ofModern Warfareacross the board bodes well for a potential sequel in 2022, and fans may have recently received their first insight into this title.
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What is Call of Duty 2022?
While the nextCall of Dutytitle to release is known to beCall of Duty: Vanguard, fans already have some idea of whatCall of Duty2022 has in store. As theCall of Dutyseries now works in a three-yearly cycle, fans know that the developer ofCall of Duty2022 will be Infinity Ward, after a two year Hiatus and games from Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games.Modern Warfarewas a successful release for the series and made use of IW engine version 8.0, which was brand new in 2019.Modern Warfare’snew engine divided opinion somewhat, but the bulk of players were impressed enough thatCall of Duty: Vanguardwill also bemaking use ofModern Warfare’sengine. Given these details, it was always likely that Infinity Ward would continue theModern Warfareseries, and continue the use of the new engine.
Recent leaks from reputable insider Tom Henderson have given fans a vague outline of whatCall of Duty2022 has in store. For starters, there are no surprises as far as the direction of the series is concerned asCall of Duty2022 will continue theModern Warfarenamesake, reportedly being titledModern Warfare II. Henderson has also claimed thatModern Warfare2022s story will center around fighting drug cartels as part of Task Force 141. This opens up the series to explore different directions, withModern Warfarenotably centering around a conflict with Russia, primarily fought in the fictional country of Urzikstan. With the drug cartel storyline,CoDfans may be hopeful of the return ofModern Warfare 2sclassic map, Favela, which would make a lot of sense given the game’s reported setting.
The Return of Modern Warfare 2
Much like the originalModern Warfare, the sequel,Modern Warfare 2was much loved byCall of Dutyfans. While it was released almost 12 years ago, it’s still fresh in the minds of manyCall of Dutyfans. For this reason,Call of Duty2022’s titlemay be slightly confusing to long term fans of the series. WhileModern Warfarewas already a surprising title, many fans avoid confusion by referring to the originalModern WarfareasCoD 4. WithModern Warfare 2, there isn’t really an alternative title to distinguish between new and old. It appears that Infinity Ward’s way to avoid this confusion is to use roman numerals, which may not suffice.
To add to the confusion,Modern Warfare 2scampaign was remastered recently, which may make differentiating between the two games difficult for newer players. SomeCall of Dutyfans had hoped to seeModern Warfare 2smultiplayer remastered, but withCall of Duty2022s title, that now seems unlikely. Instead, a continuation of the more realisticModern Warfarerebooted series is likely to take precedence. Nevertheless, the modernized reboot of theModern Warfareseries will appeal to plenty of fans of the originalModern Warfaregames.
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Call of Duty’s Yearly Release Schedule
In the old days ofCall of Duty, Treyarch used to offerCall of Dutytitles from different time periods, while Infinity Ward would focus on games set in the modern day. The cycle worked well and gaveCall of Dutyfans a variety in choice. Fans of historical shooters could choose from some of Treyarch’s games,inWorld at WarandBlack Ops, while fans who preferred a more contemporary shooter could play theModern Warfareseries. While that trend ended withBlack Ops 2and saw the series take a more futuristic approach, it appears that it has been revived as of late.
The two games releasing prior toCall of Duty2022s release areCall of Duty: Vanguard, andBlack Ops Cold War. Each of these games has a historical setting, withCold Warbeing set in the early 80s, whileVanguardhas a traditional World War 2 setting. This is great from the perspective of offering a variety in choice, as players have three different settings to choose from in the past twoCall of Dutygames along with the upcoming release ofVanguard. But followingVanguard’srelease, it is time to reset the cycle and offer fans of a modern setting something new to play.Modern Warfare’sbattlepass and content drops had provided fans with new content to keep the game feeling fresh, but the content drops have become a whole lot more sporadic over the last year, and that’s unlikely to improve onceVanguarddrops.
For fans of theCall of Duty: Modern Warfareseries, a new game needs to be right around the corner. Fans have experienced more historical takes on theCall of Dutyfranchise recently, and have eagerly awaited thesequel toModern Warfare2019. WhileModern Warfarestill feels like a modern game, fans will have played the game to death at this point and will be ready to upgrade to the sequel. Given the success of the 2019 game, it makes sense that a follow-up would be Infinity Ward’s next move.
Call of Duty2022 is currently in development.
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